Naxals recruit 4,000 children as cadres to strengthen its base

New Delhi: Naxals have recruited nearly 4,000 children, including girls, as a part of its recruitment drive to strengthen depleted cadre base. Official sources said that the children were recruited for gathering intelligence about movement of security forces, collect rations and work as couriers.

The recruitment drive has been going on in all Naxal- affected states but Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand have witnessed the most, they said. While the age of boys are as low as 10 years, the average age of girls are 14-15 years, the sources said.

The girls are also made to cook and perform other manual works for the cadres, particularly the senior ones, they said. The Home Ministry has asked the affected states to take necessary steps to stop such activities of the Maoists and try to rescue the children from their clutches.

There were 285 incidents of Naxal violence from May to July this year in which 117 people lost their lives including 47 in Chhattisgarh, 37 in Jharkhand and 15 in Bihar.